The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-23
TERRIBLE SUFFERING.
A Case That Puzzled the Learned Doc
tors of Gotham.

tors of Gotham.
A dispatch from New York to the Cincin-
natl Enquirer says: 1t is rare thing in
medicine when set of symptoms appear
which can not be explained. Through the
ignorance of physicians at times cases will
be diagnosed wrong, and taken to mean
something other than the true disease, but
when physicians who are erudite and know
about all that there is to be known in de-
filming symptoms and giving the proper
treatment fail to give name to the disease
from which an individual is suffering, then
the disease may be considered more than
passing strange and worthy to take a place
among the unexplained freaks of nature
There is such a case at st. Elizabeth Hospi-
tai
The patient is woman named Jane Hori-
beck. She is of slight build, has black hair
and eyes, an unusually heavy growth OF
hair upon the face, especially on tie upper
lip and has big head and large bones COW
cred with small muscles Her ailment be-
gan some time ago, its commencement be-
ing dated as near as it can be fixed to an in
jury to her spine. While leaning out of a
window she lost her balance and fell about
20 feet to the pavement. On the way down
she struck heavy wire clothes-line. The
threw her so that she landed on her knees.
She was unconscious from the shock for sew
eral hours, and the only injury besides the
severe laceration in the spine was dlslo-
Gated shoulder The dislocation was reduced
by the woman's family physician, and it
was expected that she would be all right in
a few days.
She was kept in bed all the time, and
about week after she was hurt she com
TlninpH of a min in fbA GrnlOn the
lower part over space that seemed to her
to be round and about the size of silver
dollar.
1T WAS A HOT BURNING PAIN,
and the sensation as described by her was as
if there was something eating through the
flesh like an acid Irritation by rubbing
and several ointments and plasters were put
upon the spine where the pain was located,
but it remained there all the time without
the slightest abatement In fact the extent
of the pain surface slowly increased, seem
ing to follow in the line of circle, The
flesh where the pain was did not show the
slightest change in color, being perfectly
natural and without any apparent increase
or diminutiOn in the temperature. The
pain seemed to start from a common centre
and TO move around the circle from left to
right
AT the end of the three months the entire
back had been brought within the cir
conference OF pain, and the wOman's
sufferings were terrible but this was as
nothing to what she had vet to undergo.
Whatever the cause of the pain, it gradu-
ally got a better and stronger hold on the
nerves and muscles of the body, and spread
to the chest and abdomen. When the entire
trunk had became subject to its influence,
the woman had to be kept under the sooth-
ing power Of opiates, and when the effect
of the medicine would pass away she would
be driven into a delirious state by the hOr-
rible sensation. The pain started in the
back and passed around the body, and the
woman felt as if she was being consumed
by fire.
THE HEART BECAME AFFECTED.
1t beat feebly, and would palpitate in a
distressing manner at the least exertion
Air going into the lungs appeared to be red
not, and the respiration was alternately
above and below the normal. Above the
waist the flesh was covered with a cold
sweat, while the legs were dry and hot, and
frequently of deathly pale color. There
was no such thing as digestion. Whatever
food was given, no matter how simple it
might be, it gave rise to great distress, and
was passed from the body but little changed
in character.
Before the patient was taken to the hospi-
tai she had been seen and examined by a
number of physicians, who could not make
any sure diagnosis of the case. About all
the drugs that are known to act upon the
nerves were given to the poor woman. She
steadily grew worse The pain area kept
Oh increasing until the legs, arms and head
were racked with excruciating pain, and
When it finally extended to the head the en-
tire body was involved. The pain was al
ways present. but at times there were VIC
lent spaslns, so sUrong and intense that the
muscles appeared as if they would be torn
from the bones. A little neuralgia pain in
the head will often make lunaticS out of
people. Can any one imagine what must be
the feelings Of person whose whole body is
the seat of
ONE INTENSE PAIN!
Think of a toothache being magniied
thousands times in quantity. DR.. Keane,
the consulting surgeon OF st. Elizabeth
Hospital, heard of the strange case, and
had the patient removed to the hospital,
where the development of the malady
could be closely watched. As the pa
tent was being carried from her room
lighted lamp was overturned and exploded.
Some of the oil was thrown on the woman's
legs, and burned them slightly. This mis-
fortune, while it added to the suffering of
the patient for time, in the end proved to
be the most fortunate thing that could have
happened, as it led to the discovery of some
thing that could give her relief and possibly
cure her.
When the effect of the burn had passed
away the patient said that i'll that particu-
lar part of the leg there was no pain. This
set DR.. Keane to thinking, and he came to
the conclusion that the woman might be
benefited by disturbing the relations and
structure Of the superficial muscle by heat.
He had an instrument made, something in
the shape, though smaller than curry
comb, which could be fiattened or rounded
at will by set-screw. The surface Of the
instrument was thickly studded with needles,
and fitting so that it could be adjusted to a
galvano-cautery battery.
The plan of operation was a simple one.
The patient was given ether simply to dull
the senses, and not render her thoroughly in
sensible, as her heart would not stand il.
The needles were placed upon the thigh, and
forced into the flesh a short distance by pres
sure. The wound was allowed TO bleed for
a while. Then button was touched, the
electric current ran through the wires, and
the needles were made white-hot in second.
There was kissing and suffering, and the
needles were
SUNK DEEPER INTO THE FLESH.
About half an inch was considered suffi-
Gent. The heat was applied until the flesh
was well burned, and then the needles were
Withdrawn. They were applied in several
other places on the thigh near each other,